This is without a doubt the most frustrating Customer Dis-Service experience I have ever had. I'm trying to accomplish the previously simple task of activating new Open License agreements. It's not brain surgery, it's not even clean out a wound with peroxide and slap a band-aid on it.

From the initial site error messages, to the new layout and cryptic nature of trying to add new agreements, and then waiting on hold for 1 hour and 15 minutes for help, the tech being unable to assist except by entering a case and telling me that other users are experiencing the same issues.

The Captcha system when trying to add another Windows Live ID was another pathetic experience, it took about 6 attempts before I could get it right, no indication if it was case-sensitive or not, the audio version was terrible and wouldn't repeat anything except the first character.

Now just spent 5+ minutes talking to the Activation Center to try and get Product Keys for Data Protection Manager for him to tell me that they can't do it and I need the Volume Licensing technical support. Raj transfers me to the obnoxious MS Professional Services voice prompt, probably because I had a little rant about how long I had been on the phone and how frustrated I was.

Back on hold again now, I don't know that I can make it through this experience.

Thank whoever you pray to but I FINALLY got an honest answer, after being on the phone from 0950 to 1220. Raoul told me that they use the same website to get Product Keys from, and they can't access it either. If only Nick would have told me that at 1015 I could have saved 2 hours and a serious headache.

The best Raoul can do is call me when they website is back up.

I think I will attend the MS Sharepoint session at the NJ Microsoft offices in Iselin on Thursday and see who I can speak to. If the entire company didn't run on Microsoft I'd never use them again.

Another 30+ minute call to support ended with a transfer to worldwide fulfillment, a media exception and a no-charge copy of MS DPM Server hopefully being sent to me, although it was the last one on the shelf according to the inventory system so it may not be there, in which case it will take 10 days.

Just got off the phone and it's a known issue that's affecting Open License customers; they can not add agreements. "They are working diligently on a resolution".

I'm waiting on a call back from a lead agent, nothing against the guy I just spoke to but no-one is stepping up. The accepted workaround is to pass the customer to WW fulfillment, which is obviously not working for me.

I wish I had more than 1 follower on Twitter, it seems like no-one in the media has picked up on this despite my feeble attempts to get Slashdot, Windows Secrets and others to take a look.

Limey, write up an article and let's see if we can get it posted on all of the Spicey's blogs? I have one (and my single reader will see it), but it cross-posts to my Facebook where I have a few tech-minded friends. I think SAM has a few readers of his posts, JDorfman has a blog, AKP of course.

I haven't even bothered calling them to get mine fixed because of your experiences!!! Let's raise the awareness!

Not so sure about Wave (see here). But you've already done most of it, just copy your own posts! I'd help out with the cleanup afterwards, if you'd like. Google Wave address: martinpugh9700@googlewave.com

Thanks to Martin, I put together a blog post about this. I have one version on my personal site here and pasted Martin's revised version below. If anyone would care to repost this in an effort to get greater visibility that would be fantastic.

Volume Licensing Dis-Service Center

We all have it happen at some point, a planned upgrade doesn't go so well and you have no choice but to roll back to the way itwas while you assess what went wrong and plan the next steps. Unfortunately it seems that if you are Microsoft having a fall-backposition doesn't apply.

Due to a planned transition from the functional, yet dated eOpen portal to the shiny, new Volume License Service Centercustomers were unable to access their licenses over the weekend. Something obviously did not go to plan as the new site was throwing error message on a steady basis until Wednesday morning. Unfortunately, just because the site was back up did notmean that all the problems were fixed. At the time of writing this, Microsoft's Open License customers can not add newagreements and therefore can not obtain Product Keys or download software for them, leaving those agreements unfulfilled.

The only known workaround, according to Hector at the Microsoft Support Center and confirmed by CDW, is to contact Worldwide Fulfillment and havethem ship physical media at no cost. Sounds great but if their inventory system shows only one copy of the product you need thenyou just may not get it for 10 business days. Some workaround! Microsoft no longer gives Open Business agreement vendors the option to ship media meaning that it's either online or WW Fulfillment, but Open Value agreements can still obtain media through the vendor.

According to one of CDW's Microsoft licensing experts it should not be necessary to actually add new agreements to the VLSC as this should happen automatically upon purchase. This is not how the actual site appears to be operating, there is a definite spot to add Open License agreements, it just doesn't work, a fact confirmed by Nick, Raoul and Hector.

Multiple Google searches bring up nothing on this issue except one article at http://tonymackelworth.wordpress.com/2009/10/29/eopen-replaced-with-volume-license-service-centre-vlscwhich is datedOctober 29. Maybe I'm the only Microsoft customer trying to get a product I purchased installed and operational but I know that'snot the case as the message for the Support Center has been changed to reflect the abnormal hold times. I would suggest calling the Support Center but the number is now busy. Trust me, it's for the best - I have about 5 hours of hold time this week already, and their hold music isn't that good.

After five days, and five hours of being on hold this has been escalated to a lead supervisor at the Support Center. I’m now getting High Visibility, which should mean hourly updates via email. He also pulled up the account and apparently did something as I just received three emails that I have been granted additional permissions. While I was on the phone I also received notification that my media has shipped, so now the race is on to see who can get this problem resolved first. Either way it has been an exceedingly frustrating experience, in my eyes Microsoft really dropped the ball on this one.

Wow, Martin and Andy, you guys are good! I wish I had taken a screenshot yesterday or earlier in the week just as proof, but I tell you there was nothing relevant out there except the Tony Mackelworth blog.

Here's the search results as of right now. I should run the search on Bing, just to increase the irony factor.

On the other hand, I think Google Wave definitely showed its potential, but also all it's warts when we created the document.

It will highlight text changes until you come in and "read" the wave item, but the conversation is definitely disjointed and getting a sense of the timeline of what's being said is not there.

BUT, put some decent document editing tools in there, and maybe make the "discussion" piece more IM like? Maybe central document or "thingy" with comments then each comment would open up a windows with an IM like chat window. You could have multiple comments, and hence multiple chats?

The potential is still there, but the current implementation is NOT ready.

I agree, Wave has a lot of potential. Pretty cool, I was accessing it from my PC and Mac at the same time and when I added a paragraph from the Mac it showed up highlighted on the PC until I 'read' it there.

Bing was a failure on the VLSC front, but I did find a great article on motorcycle safety which I Fb'd.

Beginning Sunday December 13th, various Microsoft Systems were shut down for unscheduled repair.

It was originally expected that these systems would come back on line today, Wednesday December 16th.

Unfortunately, that date has slipped and Microsoft’s Goal is to have the systems back online Friday December 18th, at the end of the business day, Pacific Time.

Please review the following Microsoft Programs/Systems/Processes and how they have been impacted by this unplanned down time:

Volume Licensing Services Centre (VLSC) – VLSC is a Customer facing tool used for Product Downloads, Product Keys and customer licensing reporting on all of the Microsoft License Programs. VLSC has been completely shut down. Customers and Partners can contact Product Activation call centers for product keys at 888-352-7140. Please be sure the customer has their enrollment or authorization and license numbers available when contacting this resource.

Explore – Explore is a Partner Tool used for Reporting, Price Lists, Communications, Agreement information. This site also links CDW to the other resources to complete tasks such as requesting credits and order placement. This site has been completely shut down, prohibiting CDW from engaging in any of those activities.

Programs/Systems/Processes with Some Interruption

Open Value Agreements – The eAgreements (ECM) Tool that is used to create Open Value Agreements is down. New Agreements cannot be created at this time, orders can be placed on existing agreements only.

Select Agreement Orders – EDI feeds are not impacted by this system downtime, orders processed through EDI can be processed normally. Orders being processed manually may be delayed.

Corporate Enterprise Agreements – The Agreements (VLCM) Tool that is used to create Enterprise Agreements online is down. We have reverted back to the paper process for New Enterprise Agreements. We are still working on processing Credit Checks via alternative methods, expect delays.

Corporate Enterprise Agreement Orders – The tool used to submit orders for Microsoft Enterprise Agreements is accessed through Explore, which is down. We are continuing to attempt to find workarounds for this process, but expect delays for Enterprise Agreement Orders.

Government Enterprise Agreement Orders – EDI feeds are not impacted by this system downtime, orders processed through EDI can be processed normally. Orders being processed manually may be delayed.

RMA Requests – RMA Requests will be delayed due to the downtime of the tool utilized by CDW for these requests.

Programs/Systems/Processes with Workarounds or No Interruption

Open License Orders – EDI feeds are not impacted by this system downtime, orders processed through EDI can be processed normally.

Open Value Orders – EDI feeds are not impacted by this system downtime, orders processed through EDI can be processed normally.

Campus/School Agreement Orders - EDI feeds are not impacted by this system downtime, orders processed through EDI can be processed normally.

Campus/School Agreements – These agreements are processed manually, no interruption to processing.

Select Agreements – The eAgreements (VLCM) Tool that is used to create Select Agreements online is down. We have reverted back to the paper process for New Select Agreements.

Government Enterprise Agreements – These agreements are processed manually, no interruption to processing.

Microsoft has assured CDW that this downtime is being addressed at the highest levels within their organization. They are working around the clock to make repairs to get the tools back online as quickly as possible. If there are further delays, we will send a follow up communication.